Active Media & Hyperlinks in Ebooks?

[-K2-]

Perhaps I should clear up any confusion right off. I know nothing about e-publishing, I have never read an e-book (disregarding formats such as PDFs and so on), I have never looked at an e-book device, or even held one in my hands. IOW, I'm about as e-book ignorant as they come. With that out of the way, I'm curious to discover if e-books can contain digital links to sound files and music (much like if I linked to a youtube video in this post), or are they only able to be contained in the file data.

It's possible I'm even asking that incorrectly, so forgive me if that makes little sense.

Thanks for your responses!

K2

 

[ctg]

I'm curious to discover if e-books can contain digital links to sound files and music (much like if I linked to a youtube video in this post), or are they only able to be contained in the file data.

Everything that you can do with HTML you can do with e-books. But super rarely they contain complete videos. Hyperlinks however are standard items and if you want to publish, you have to include them.

 

[-K2-]

Everything that you can do with HTML you can do with e-books. But super rarely they contain complete videos. Hyperlinks however are standard items and if you want to publish, you have to include them.

Thank you for the response! I suppose I should have been more clear however. When I was speaking of 'hyperlinks,' I meant regarding external sources (though am learning about their internal uses). As an example, just like I'm including this sound file:


Odd, it is not working...

https://soundcloud.com/user-413328199%2Fwe-the-people

IOW, will e-readers access web-sourced media on the fly (not simply for single item downloads), wherein I could embed various links to external sound files, and as the reader moves through the book, they could access them without closing out the book itself? Much like I'm doing here on my PC (yeah, I'm old ).

Thanks again!

K2

 

[ctg]

You can include audio, but if you're just linking to a cloud storage you have to also thinking about the book lifespan as the storage address might change. The company might go down and something else might happen. But, embedded audio is possible.

 

[-K2-]

Thank you for your response!

K2

 

[Vertigo]

I would say it depends a lot on the ereader. It's fine if you are reading on a tablet or a phone but not all ereaders are actually connected to the internet; mine isn't but then it's quite old (but still functions just fine). Also as @ctg says I'd say there's a big risk about whether such links will still be available in 2, 5, 10, 20 years time.

 

[-K2-]

@Vertigo ; Thanks for the response!

K2

 

[Brian G Turner]

The trouble with links to media is that online media won't work when the device is used offline - which is likely to be common.

Even if you upload media with your book, dedicated eReaders (such as the Kindle) may be unable to play some of the media.

Additionally, something that is rarely mentioned is that ebooks have a minimum cost based on their download size. For novels this tends not to be an issue, but once a book becomes media heavy - even just lots of images - then restrictions on pricing and income really start to come into play.

While ebooks offer a lot of opportunities, there remain limitations. Just as with print books, really the focus is on the words and any pictures.

It would definitely be an idea to get used to using ebooks if you're looking to publish your own ebooks - at some point you'd really be advised to test them on your own device anyway. The Amazon Fire tablet works fine with ebooks books, as well as working as a general tablet, and are usually pretty cheap - Amazon routinely offers reductions on them as well.

Hope that helps.

 

[-K2-]

Thanks for the help @Brian G Turner !

K2

 

[Vertigo]

That's good point from @Brian G Turner that I hadn't thought of, that many (all?) dedicated eReaders that do connect to the internet do not do so using your normal connection, and therefore your bandwidth, but using a dedicated 3/4G connection that is 'paid for' when you actually buy the ereader itself, giving free internet access for browsing eg. Amazon and downloading bought books.

 

[thaddeus6th]

It's true as ctg said that lifespan can be a potential pitfall for links, but you can go back and edit e-books to update such things (or the Also By list for your other books). Not sure if that automatically updates already downloaded content, however.

Vertigo, my old Kindle e-reader used to have 3G but then it was furkled with by Amazon remotely, and now it requires wi-fi.

 

[awesomesauce]

The trouble with links to media is that online media won't work when the device is used offline - which is likely to be common.

The only time our readers are online is when we're actively putting books on them. There's just no need to waste the battery life on an active wifi connection. (Also they're never on the internet; they only connect to our Calibre library on the LAN.)

Also, when you get into videos and animation, e-ink readers are really not designed for that.

And then, I saw this abomination the other day and I was like, "For the love of Cathulu, WHY???"

 

[-K2-]

And then, I saw this abomination the other day and I was like, "For the love of Cathulu, WHY???"

LOL, too funny!

Thanks for the input. It's disappointing in that I have a few different air-raid sirens and horns which definitely enhance the mood (extremely foreboding, the tones alone making your heart sink). More so some music (of which granted I'd have to sort out copyrights and so on if ever published beyond posted on a forum), however they really set the mood when ending a chapter or even setting a mood in a couple spots mid-chapter.

Thanks again for the feedback!

K2

 

[Vertigo]

...of which granted I'd have to sort out copyrights and so on if ever published beyond posted on a forum...

Be careful; even if just posting music on a forum there are potential copyright issues. If you're linking to some music on youtube then they have already dealt with those issues but otherwise you may well find yourself in copyright infringement territory.

 

[-K2-]

Be careful; even if just posting music on a forum there are potential copyright issues. If you're linking to some music on youtube then they have already dealt with those issues but otherwise you may well find yourself in copyright infringement territory.

Absolutely understood, though thanks for the warning. What I did was use existing youtube media (embedding existing media) for the music aspects posted on the forum (only place it can be read atm). Even still I took the time to note copyright licensing disclaimers, and still issue credits, though even still that doesn't mean anything.

What I was hoping to do was to use fragments of songs in some cases to reduce royalties (if I ever published... realizing that skill wise I have miles to go), though a couple I'd want intact. For print versions, (and perhaps this would be the way to go for digital versions as well), make available to folks a way to download a soundtrack at cost, and therefor insure that any expense is covered fully.

IOW, they'd simply separately purchase and download the soundtrack. So that would mean complete legal songs, and naturally the sound-files are free (in that I made them).

As an example, for a prequel novella to my novel I whipped this up. Intended on sounding like a siren the next ward over, as heard through a steel plate turnstile after echoing off buildings.

https://soundcloud.com/user-413328199%2F14-c-11-siren-1

Thanks again for everyone's advice and help! You're all improving 'me.'

K2

 

[Vertigo]

You might find it interesting to look at Peter Hamilton's Abyss Beyond Dreams. There is a soundtrack by Steve Buick called "Peter F Hamilton's the Abyss Beyond Dreams: Atmospheres and Soundscapes" which is recommended by Peter Hamilton inside the book as perfect listening whilst reading the book. Not sure it would be everyone's cup of tea being ambient electronic music so I suspect few of Hamilton's readers will have gone out to buy it to listen to whilst reading but I have no evidence to support that just my own suspicion. But similar idea and done, I believe, in collaboration with Hamilton. It is about an hour and forty minutes of music.

 

[-K2-]

Thanks for that @Vertigo ; Good to know!

It would be great (IMO) if these e-books read like a forum. Where I have my novel posted, as you scroll down, when a chapter ends, begins or needs some 'theme music' the person can obviously opt to click the link and immerse themselves deeper.

I tried to select the songs (nine all told) to actually set someone's mood. The various sirens and debilitating horns doing just that. The songs more to get the individual either to pause and reflect on what they read, or fix a mood for what they're about to. In all cases (and with the sounds) I suggest that the individual cease reading until finished listening.

It's tough enough reading my yammering without the added distraction of noise

K2